Sequoyah, like many writers, is an introvert–and as a teen, she didn’t particularly like talking with other people.

So when she decided she wanted to indie-publish her first book at the age of 20…it felt pretty intimidating.

Because publishing a book meant learning how to market it.

And that meant talking to a lot of people about herself, pitching her book to a lot of podcasts, and dealing with a lot of rejections from readers who weren’t interested.

But Sequoyah had an advantage that a lot of introverted writers her age don’t have: by joining the Author Conservatory, she had coaches who helped her gain confidence in promoting her own work.

When she first joined our program in 2020, we helped her start her own meal prep business to help her practice marketing skills before her first book.

And during that first year, co-founder Brett Harris said something that stuck with her: “We trust you enough to let you fail.”

As she practiced running her own business, she got used to rejections and talking with people about her work.

And at the same time, she received enough feedback from our writing instructors that she knew her story was good.

So when she started promoting her debut novella, In the Company of Cows, she wasn’t afraid of putting herself out there:

• She got herself on three podcasts
• She got her book in multiple book stores.
• She talked with all her friends and family about it.
• She even received interest from a book box company who wanted to feature her book.

As a result?

Over a hundred people pre-ordered her book.

And by the end of launch week, over two hundred copies of her book were out in the world.

(For context…over 90% of self-published books sell less than 100 copies during their lifetime. Sequoyah beat that number before the book even released!)

We’re so proud of Sequoyah and the success she’s had with In the Company of Cows.

She’s learned how to successfully market a book–even as an introverted writer.

As she put it, “Without the Author Conservatory’s business training, I would have been lost for how to market the novella.”

But with our training, she was able to hit sales numbers most indie authors never hit with her very first release.

If you’re an aspiring author who wants to learn how to be a successful marketer (even if you’re introverted and semi-terrified of people), we’d love to help you just like we did Sequoyah.

You can click the link below to learn more about the Author Conservatory and how we help students pursue their dreams.

And if you’d enjoy reading a story about real characters dealing with the beauty and heartbreak of ranch life, click here to grab a copy of Sequoyah’s novella!